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United States Patent |
6,145,379
|
Carter
|
November 14, 2000
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Wheel assembly for an in-line skate with speedometer or odometer assembly
Abstract
An in-line skate wheel assembly for a skate mounted speedometer or odometer
that includes a signal processor and display housing mounted on the skate
toe with a sensor mounted under the toe very close to the forward wheel. A
field producing sensing element is fixed in the elastomeric portion of the
forward wheel where it passes in close proximity to the sensor as the
wheel rotates. The display housing is connected to the sensor by a flat
conductor and the three are quickly removable as a unit from the skate.
Inventors:
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Carter; Robert L. (3124 Brossman Ct., Naperville, IL 60564)
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Appl. No.:
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093739 |
Filed:
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June 8, 1998 |
Current U.S. Class: |
73/493 |
Intern'l Class: |
G01P 001/02 |
Field of Search: |
73/493,489,490,514.39,146
324/207.22,173-175,207.25
235/95 R,96
280/11.25,11.19,11.22,11.23
301/5.3
152/154.2
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References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2102784 | Dec., 1937 | Bridges.
| |
4454411 | Jun., 1984 | Hale et al.
| |
5721539 | Feb., 1998 | Goetzl.
| |
Foreign Patent Documents |
92 09 825 | Nov., 1992 | DE.
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296 12 211 | Dec., 1996 | DE.
| |
Other References
Translation of DE 296 16 211 U1, Dated Jul. 17, 1998.
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Primary Examiner: Raevis; Robert
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Allen, Esq.; Dillis V.
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a Division of my U.S. application Ser. No. 08/869,091,
Filed: Jun. 4, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,335, entitled A SPEEDOMETER
OR ODOMETER ASSEMBLY FOR IN-LINE SKATE, and it is being filed under the
provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A wheel assembly for an in-line roller skate adapted to be used in
conjunction with a skate carried speedometer or odometer assembly,
including a central hub carrying a bearing, a Shore A durometer elastomer
carried by the hub having an outer tread surface. and a magnet embedded in
the elastomer in a position where its magnetic field passes outwardly from
the elastomer, said magnet having a threaded portion so the magnet can be
threaded into the elastomer.
2. A wheel assembly for an in-line roller skate adapted to be used in
conjunction with a skate carried sensor, comprising: a wheel assembly
having a periphery, and a sensing element mounted on the wheel assembly
near the periphery thereof in a position to be sensed by the skate sensor,
said sensing element including a magnet, and the wheel assembly including
an elastomeric tire, said magnet being embedded in the tire, said magnet
having a threaded portion so the magnet can be threaded into the
elastomer.
3. A wheel assembly for an in-line roller skate as defined in claim 2,
wherein the magnet is inserted into a hole in the side of the elastomer
parallel to the axis of the wheel assembly.
4. A wheel assembly for an in-line roller skate as defined in claim 2,
wherein the magnet is inserted into a hole in the tread surface of the
elastomer in a generally radial direction.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In-line skates of the type having a plurality of elastomeric wheel
assemblies mounted in a common plane constitute one of the fastest growing
product markets over the last ten years, particularly in this country but
also in many other developed countries, principally because they are
relatively easy for the inexperienced skater to maneuver, but even above
that, the high speeds capable with in-line skates on a variety of
surfaces, have made them the skate of choice for a variety of sports, such
as hockey, and for newly developed specialized sporting activities, such
as acrobatic skating.
In most sporting activities that are speed related, it is desirable to
provide speedometer and odometer systems for the user to better appreciate
his or her speed or distance achievements and improvements. However,
somewhat surprising, and as a result of the search that was conducted in
anticipation of this application, no such speedometer-odometer assembly
has been provided that can be integrated directly into both after-market
and OEM in-line skates, and it is to that objective that the present
invention is pointed.
The patents found in this search include:
______________________________________
UNITED STATES PATENTS
Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date
______________________________________
Smith 2,505,154 4-25-50
Moll 3,505,878 4-14-70
Hadtke 3,978,725 9-7-76
Jander, et al.
4,262,537 4-21-81
Price 4,298,910 11-3-81
Cameron 4,546,650 10-15-85
Tuyn, et al. 4,860,585 8-29-89
Dittbrenner 5,003,820 4-2-91
Irwin 5,037,303 8-6-91
Edwards 5,344,055 9-6-94
Pozzobon, et al.
5,536,026 7-16-96
Conway 5,580,093 12-3-96
______________________________________
The Cameron, U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,650; the Tuyn, et al., U.S. Pat. No.
4,860,585; the Irwin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,303; the Moll, U.S. Pat. No.
3,505,878; the Hadtke, U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,725, and the Jander, et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,537, all show speedometers for snow or water skis.
The Cameron patent is relevant in that it shows a speedometer mounted with
Velcro to the ski and carries a snow-engaging wheel 17 that has magnets
19. A Hall effect sensor 20 is positioned so that it detects magnetic
field changes induced by the passage of the magnets attached to the wheel.
For example, in FIG. 5 the top magnet is oriented so that its North pole
points out the right-hand face of the toothed wheel 17 while the bottom
magnet is oriented so that its South pole points out the same side.
Rotation of the wheel is detected by the Hall effect sensor 20 when the
magnetic field changes back to its original polarity. This indication is
then sent to the microcomputer 21 via the conductive leads(not shown) of
the Hall effect sensor 20.
The Tuyn, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,585, shows a ski mounted device
similar to Cameron's except for a downward spring biasing arrangement.
The Moll, U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,878; the Hadtke, U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,725; the
Jander, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,537, and the Dittbrenner, U.S. Pat.
No. 5,003,820, also relate to ski mounted speedometers but the technology
is not useable in a built-in design for an inline skate.
The Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 2,505,154, shows a roller skate magneto mounted in
the rear wheel of the skate that powers lights.
The Price, U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,910, shows a roller skate with wheel mounted
generating devices for lights secured to the wheels or other parts of the
skate.
The Pozzobon, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,026, shows a wheel mounted
generator for roller skates to provide a power source for
computer-generated systems for developing data relating to average speed,
distance and time used to cover the distance in sporting activities.
FIG. 10 discloses a plurality of first magnets 212 within the wheel
assembly, a second set of magnets 215 outside the wheel frame, and a
plurality of windings 210 on the inside of the frame facing magnets 212.
The inventor says little about this embodiment, but it appears to me to be
an electricity generating system as opposed to a speed sensor.
The Conway, U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,093, shows a generator similar to Price's.
And finally, the Edwards, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,055, shows a water bottle
holding device for in-line roller blades, which is not of any specific
significance.
It is a primary object to ameliorate the problems noted above in
speedometer assemblies adapted for other uses and to provide an extremely
well-designed wheel assembly for an in-line skate speedometer for
uncomplicated attachment to either after-market or OEM in-line skates.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a wheel assembly is provided for
an in-line skate carrying a speedometer-odometer that includes a signal
processor-display housing mounted on top of the toe of the skate and a
sensor assembly mounted under the skate toe in close proximity to both the
forward wheel and the processor-display housing.
This optimum location on the skate provides a plurality of application and
manufacturing benefits. The position of the sensor under the toe portion
of the skate accommodates the widest variety of skate designs. Wheel frame
design, that is the downwardly directed frame from the shoe that supports
the in-line wheels, varies significantly from one skate model to another
so while in one design wheels other than forward wheels may have
significant portions of wheel surfaces exposed that could be utilized as
the sensing wheel, in another design that wheel may be completely covered
except for a small ground engaging portion. Thus, the selection of the
forward wheel as the sensing wheel enables the present
speedometer-odometer to be incorporated into a wide variety of basic skate
designs.
Next, the location of the processor display housing on top of the toe and
the location of the sensor under the toe provides a compact unit connected
by only a short flat conductor cable that runs over the toe. The short
conductor cable, while reducing product cost, makes the unit more durable
and more easily removed from the skate for hockey play or acrobatic
skating.
Toward this end the display housing, the flat conductor and the sensor are
Velcroed to the skate toe for easy removal as a unit.
An important aspect of the present invention is the mounting of the
sensoring element within the elastomeric portion of one of the skate
wheels. Typically, the tread portion of in-line skate wheels is a solid
polyurethane elastomer in the Shore A durometer range of 80 to 100. The
field producing sensing elements, according to one embodiment of the
invention, have threaded shank portions that permit the magnets to be
threaded into holes in the elastomer, either as cast or drilled. This is
an extremely secure and durable mounting arrangement for the magnetic
sensing elements. And also because these elastomers are typically
compression molded, the magnet elements can, according to another
embodiment, be insert molded into the elastomer.
Another feature of the present invention is an adjusting mechanism that
enables the sensor to be moved radially toward the sensing wheel as the
wheel wears. This is particularly useful in designs that mount the magnet
into the outer surface of the wheel.
Another important aspect of the present invention is that the Velcro
carrier for the present speedometer assembly constitutes a safety device
and that upon side impact the Velcro will release the assembly minimizing
damage to the speedometer assembly and reducing the possibility of user
injury.
A further advantage in the configuration of this speedometer assembly that
includes a flexible flat conductor interconnecting the
odometer-speedometer housing and remote sensor enables the assembly to
conform to a wide variety of toe shapes.
Other objects and advantages will appear more clearly from the following
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional in-line roller skate with
the present speedometer-odometer assembly in situ;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective of the speedometer-odometer assembly
illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the speedometer-odometer assembly illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 2 in place on an in-line skate;
FIG. 4 is a front view of the speedometer-odometer assembly on the in-line
skate illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged top view of the in-line skate illustrated in FIGS. 1
to 4, partly fragmented;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-section through the flexible flat conductor
taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an implantable magnet assembly utilized in the elastomeric wheels
in FIGS. 8 and 9;
FIG. 10 is a cross-section of an elastomeric wheel similar to FIGS. 8 and 9
with an insert molded magnetic element;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section of the in-line skate toe portion showing
an adjustment feature for the sensor to compensate for wheel wear, and;
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side view with the speedometer-odometer assembly
removed with a protective strap in its place.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1 to 5, a
speedometer-odometer assembly 10 is illustrated attached to and wrapped
around a toe portion of a conventional in-line skate assembly 11 that
includes an upper shoe portion 12 having a toe portion 13 with an upper
generally downwardly and forwardly sloped surface 15, a generally
vertically downwardly directed arcuate portion 16, and a generally flat
rigid lower surface 17. The shoe carries a downwardly depending wheel
frame 20 that has flanges 21 and 22 carried by the rigid lower surface 18
of shoe portion 12.
Frame 20 has a plurality of removable fastening elements 23, 24, 25 and 26,
that provide bosses for the wheel assemblies 28, 29, 30 and 31. Each of
the wheel assemblies includes a roller bearing assembly 35 and a solid
elastomeric tread portion 37.
The elastomeric tread portion 37 is typically a thermoplastic polyurethane
having a Shore A durometer in the range of 80 to 100.
The speedometer-odometer assembly 10 is designed to be optimally located in
a position where it can be easily read by the user, is easily removable,
is safety oriented, and is adapted to sense a magnetic element in the
forward one of the wheels 28, 29, 30 and 31, and namely, forward wheel 28.
The magnetic elements sensed by the assembly are illustrated in FIGS. 7 to
10. The design of the speedometer-odometer assembly 10 and its capability
of sensing forward wheel rotation, gives the assembly the ability to
accommodate the widest variety of in-line skate and frame configurations.
Toward these ends, the speedometer-odometer assembly 10 includes a signal
processor-display housing 40 slidably mounted in a bracket 41, and
electrically connected to a sensor assembly 43 by a flat flexible
conductor 45. The conductor 45 can be seen in cross-section in FIG. 6 and
includes conductors 47 and 48 encased in a flat elastomeric ribbon 49 that
easily wraps around and conforms to the con9 figuration of the skate toe
surfaces 15, 16 and 17, and particularly to accommodate varying
configurations of these surfaces from one skate model to another.
A Velcro strap, Part A, designated by the reference numeral 51 in FIG. 6,
is fixed to the underside of the bracket 41 and the underside of the
conductor ribbon 49. The end of the conductor ribbon 49 is fixed to one
side of the sensor 43. A second similarly shaped Velcro strap 54, Part B,
is fixed to shoe upper surface 15, shoe forward surface 16, and shoe lower
toe surface 17, and in this way the signal processor-display housing 40,
the conductor ribbon 49, the sensor 43, and Velcro strap portion 51, can
be removed from the skate as a unit, and particularly from shoe mounted
Velcro strap 54. This enables the speedometer-odometer assembly to be
removed for calibration, repair, and most frequently for activities that
may damage the speedometer assembly such as hockey.
The sensor 43 has a sensing rod contained therein that operates with a Hall
effect with magnetic elements illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, to produce
a pulse as a result of the magnetic field generated by a magnet as it
passes the sensor 43. This arrangement produces a pulse for each
revolution of the wheel 28 that is transmitted by conductor 45 to a signal
processing circuit 60 in the signal processor display 40. The processed
signals are stored in a storage area 61 which is sensed by a display
driving circuit 62, which in turn drives an upwardly directed LCD display
63.
The storage circuit 61 includes calibration circuitry suitable for
accommodating different diameter wheels and also for changing the assembly
function from velocity to accumulated distance. Calibration can also be
selected in either metric or English as will appear to those skilled in
the art. Switches 64, 65 and 66 accommodate these various functions and
provide user input to the contained on-board circuitry which includes an
on-board battery.
As seen in FIG. 7, the present magnetic element 58 includes an annular
shank portion 70 with a pointed end 71 and an enlarged threaded portion 72
at its other end. Shank portion 70 is the magnetic element and produces
the magnetic field to be sensed by Hall effect sensor 43.
An important aspect of the present invention is seen in FIGS. 8 to 10,
where the magnetic element is embedded directed into the solid elastomeric
tire portion 37 in the forward wheel 28. Because the elastomeric wheel
portion 37 is fairly rigid, in the Shore A 80 to 100 range, it is
machineable so that holes can be drilled in its tread surface or side
surface to receive and hold a magnetic element 58. At the same time, its
somewhat resilient characteristics provide some shock resistance for the
magnetic element 58 that reduces the possibility of the magnetic element
58 working its way out of the wheel tread 37.
As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, a magnetic element can be drilled and threaded
into the outer peripheral tire portion 74 in a radially inwardly directed
fashion as seen in FIG. 8, or can be threaded into an axial bore in the
side of the tread portion 37 as seen in FIG. 8. Both the alternatives
shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be utilized in either the OEM or the
after-market.
In the FIG. 8 mounting design, another magnet may be used having one or
more barbs at its radially inner end. This type of fastening element would
be undamaged by tread wear, whereas the screw threads 72 may experience
some wear.
A further alternative is shown in FIG. 10, where a magnetic plug 80 is
illustrated that is insert molded when the wheel tread portion is cast
directly into the tread portion 37a. The insert molding technique can be
utilized in both the OEM and the after-market, but in the after-market the
speedometer-odometer assembly 10 would require a new forward wheel 28
carrying the embedded magnetic plug 80.
An important aspect of the present invention and as seen in FIG. 11, is the
provision of means for adjusting the position of the sensor radially
inwardly toward the axis of the forward wheel 28 as the tread portion 37
of the wheel wears. This is accomplished in the FIG. 11 embodiment by two
additional Velcro strips 84 and 85 releasably attached to the Velcro
strips 51 and 54 directly above the sensor 43. Strips 84 and 85 can be a
part of the kit in which the speedometer assembly 10 is sold, and
additional strips can be provided if necessary to accommodate further
wear, or they can be thinner to accommodate lesser wear. This adjustment
assures, depending upon the position of the magnetic element in the wheel
tread 37, that the sensor will pick up the field produced by the magnetic
element, particularly in the FIG. 8 embodiment where the magnetic element
may move inwardly as the tire tread wears.
In FIG. 12, the speedometer-odometer assembly is removed from the lower
Velcro strap 54, which is replaced by a protective Velcro cover strap 90
that keeps the strap 54 free of foreign matter.
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